The worst ad

By The Washington Post

Posted: November 6, 2017 at 1 a.m.

“Fear-mongering.” That is the title of an ad being aired by Virginia Democrat Ralph Northam that takes aim at ads by Ed Gillespie, his Republican opponent for governor, trying to tie Northam to MS-13 gang violence and to a child pornographer. Northam is correct in his assessment of the poisonous ads and correct that it is “despicable” to imply he would tolerate anyone hurting a child. But just as despicable is an anti-Gillespie ad created by an independent group that supports Northam. It behooves Northam, while he is offering criticism, to make clear that though the anti-Gillespie spot was not a product of his campaign, his campaign wants no part of it.